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Distal Cryptotephra Found in a Viking Boathouse: the Potential for Tephrochronology in Reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway

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Distal Cryptotephra Found in a Viking Boathouse: the Potential for Tephrochronology in Reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway Journal of Archaeological Science 38 (2011) 934e941 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Archaeological Science journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jas Distal cryptotephra found in a Viking boathouse: the potential for tephrochronology in reconstructing the Iron Age in Norway Nicholas L. Balascio a,*, Stephen Wickler b, Lars Erik Narmo c, Raymond S. Bradley a a Climate System Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA b Department of Cultural Sciences, Tromsø University Museum, University of Tromsø, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway c Lofotr Viking Museum, Prestegårdsveien 59, N-8360 Bøstad, Norway article info abstract Article history: Distal tephra deposits from Icelandic volcanic eruptions have been found in Norway and can be used to Received 24 June 2010 precisely date a variety of sedimentary environments. Tephrochronology has not yet been applied to Received in revised form archaeological investigations in Norway because tephra are generally not found as visible layers, but are 7 October 2010 present as very low concentrations of glass shards (i.e. cryptotephra). In this study, we present results Accepted 25 November 2010 from the analysis of cryptotephras found in an Iron Age boathouse in northern Norway. The boathouse was associated with the chieftain center at Borg on Vestvågøy in the Lofoten Islands. In 2003, a trench Keywords: was excavated and the stratigraphy of the boathouse was described. Radiocarbon ages from cultural Cryptotephra e Tephrochronology deposits show that it was constructed in the Early Iron Age c. AD 540 660 and the main period of use Icelandic volcanic eruptions was at the end of the Iron Age between c. AD 1030 and AD 1270. Volcanic glass shards were isolated from Iron Age sediment samples collected above and below the cultural deposit representing the main period of use. Boathouse Electron microprobe analysis of the glass shards showed that the lower sample resembles the AD 860 Lofoten Islands Layer B tephra and the upper sample resembles tephra erupted from the Hekla volcanic system between Northern Norway AD 1104 and AD 1300. These tephrochronologic dates agree with the radiocarbon-derived dates and possibly further constrain the boathouse’s main period of use to c. AD 1030e1104. Our results demon- strate the value of using tephrochronology for archaeological studies in Norway and the potential for finding cryptotephra from other large explosive volcanic eruptions during the Iron Age. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction grained, finely-dispersed, tephra deposits (primarily glass shards) that are not visible as distinct layers. These deposits are known as Tephrochronology is a dating technique based on the identifi- cryptotephras, a term derived from the Greek kryptein, which means cation of pyroclastic deposits, typically ash (<2 mm in diameter), in to hide (Alloway et al., 2007; Lowe and Hunt, 2001). sedimentary environments (Alloway et al., 2007). Tephras form In the North Atlantic region, the volcanic systems of Iceland time-synchronous horizons that can be geochemically matched to have been the most significant producers of tephra. The volcanic known volcanic eruptions or used as marker horizons to correlate history has been well studied and there are a number of historic between deposits. Tephras canprovide age control in sediments void and prehistoric explosive eruptions that have produced tephra of material suitable for other dating techniques or can supplement which form discrete layers useful for paleoenvironmental recon- existing chronologies. In particular, tephras can improve radio- structions (Haflidason et al., 2000; Larsen and Eiríksson, 2008; carbon chronologies where reworking is suspected or where Larsen et al., 1999; Thordarson and Höskuldsson, 2008; plateaus exist in the calibration curve. Tephrochronology is limited Thordarson and Larsen, 2007). Archaeological investigations in to the area covered by identifiable fallout and is typically applied Iceland take advantage of the robust tephrostratigraphy and have proximal to volcanic centers where visible tephra layers are found. used tephrochronology to date settlement periods, landscape However, in some cases it is possible to isolate and identify fine- change, and soil erosion (e.g. Dugmore et al., 2000, 2005, 2009; Thorarinsson, 1981). The initial settlement of Iceland has even been constrained using tephrochronology. The timing of this event coincides with deposition of the precisely dated Landnám tephra * þ Corresponding author. Tel.: 1 413 545 0659. (871 Æ 2 AD; Grönvold et al., 1995) that is spread across most of E-mail addresses: [email protected] (N.L. Balascio), stephen.wickler@uit. no (S. Wickler), [email protected] (L.E. Narmo), [email protected] Iceland marking the beginning of human occupation (Dugmore (R.S. Bradley). et al., 2005). 0305-4403/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.023 N.L. Balascio et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 38 (2011) 934e941 935 Tephra fallout from Icelandic volcanic eruptions is not limited to Møller, 1986). Based on estimates of former shorelines and radio- local sites. The most voluminous Icelandic eruptions have depos- carbon ages from excavations, these boathouses span most of the ited tephras around the North Atlantic region. Tephras have been Iron Age and extend into the Medieval Period, c. AD 1e1300 (Nilsen, found as visible horizons in northern Europe (Birks et al., 1996; 1998; Wickler, 2004). A majority of the structures are large and five Davies et al., 2001; Mangerud et al., 1984), but are more often are over 15 m in length, although four of the structures would have found as cryptotephra. The first Icelandic cryptotephra was found in housed boats less than 6 m in length. Scotland (Dugmore, 1989) and the more recent development of The remains of the boathouse are visible on the surface as linear density separation techniques (Turney, 1998) has led to the iden- mounds marking the collapsed walls of a roughly rectangular open- tification of cryptotephras from specific eruptions across a wider ended structure constructed of stone, peat, and soil with an geographic area and has expanded the use of tephrochronology to opening facing the water (Wickler and Nilsen, 2005). The Naust 48 more distal regions (e.g. Davies et al., 2010; Turney et al., 2006; boathouse is situated 8 m from the water at an elevation of 1.3 m Wastegård and Davies, 2009). and has interior dimensions of w16.5 Â 3.2 m. In 2003, a 3 Â 0.5 m In Norway, a few Icelandic tephras have been found as visible trench was excavated perpendicular to the long axis of the struc- layers (Birks et al., 1996; Mangerud et al., 1984), but more ture between the walls near the entrance. The trench profile commonly they occur as cryptotephras. An investigation of the revealed a stratigraphic sequence with a cultural deposit up to Holocene cryptotephra stratigraphy in northern Norway identified 15 cm in thickness (Fig. 2). There appeared to be two distinct phases twenty-three tephras (Pilcher et al., 2005). These results demon- of use separated by an extensive zone of dense charcoal with fire- strated the potential for expanding the use of tephrochronology in cracked rock interpreted as the remains of multiple hearths. Norway. The use of crypto-tephrochronology has been applied to Radiocarbon samples from this zone and slightly above gave dates a few paleoenvironmental studies (Balascio et al., in press; Mills of 902 Æ 40 14C years BP and 860 Æ 75 14C years BP, respectively. A et al., 2009; Vorren et al., 2007), but we wanted to test its appli- second concentration of charcoal and fire-cracked rock from cation to constrain the age of cultural horizons in Norway. In this a hearth at the base of the cultural deposit produced a date of study we examined cryptotephra in sediment samples collected 1450 Æ 45 14C years BP. The dates correspond with 2-sigma cali- during the excavation of a Viking boathouse in northern Norway on brated ages of AD 538e662 for initial construction and AD the island of Vestvågøy in the Lofoten Islands (Fig. 1)(Wickler and 1030e1271 for the main period of use (Table 1; Wickler and Nilsen, Nilsen, 2005). We isolated volcanic glass shards from two strati- 2005). Two sediment samples were collected for tephra analysis. graphic units, geochemically matched their major-element One was taken from the middle of the Layer Ib cultural deposit composition to known eruptions, and compared our results with (CAT-6) and the other from the stratigraphic unit Layer Ia above the radiocarbon ages obtained from the boathouse and similar contexts cultural deposit (CAT-5). in the area. 3. Tephra analysis 2. Site description Samples CAT-5 and CAT-6 from Naust 48 were treated with nitric The boathouse, Naust 48, is located on the western shore of acid (HNO3) and then placed in an 80 C water bath for 3 h to remove Inner Borgpollen (6814.94’N; 1346.69’E) at the settlement of Borg the organic components of the sediment. Although tephra particles on the island of Vestvågøy in the Lofoten Islands (Fig. 1). Borg was can experience chemical alteration during acid digestions (Blockley the location of an Iron Age chieftain center and Borgpollen provided et al., 2005), the surface of each glass particle was subsequently a protected natural harbor around which the remains of c. 20 Iron removed during polishing in preparation for microprobe analysis Age boathouses have been recorded (Munch et al., 2003; Nilsen, and we assume that the grain interiors are less likely to have 1998). Previous investigations have examined the local distribu- undergone alteration. Following acid digestion, the remaining tion of boathouses in the context of the maritime history of the material was washed in deionized water over two stacked sieves islands (Nilsen,1998; Wickler, 2004; Wickler and Nilsen, 2005).
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